US9135829B2 - Distance separation criteria indicator - Google Patents

Distance separation criteria indicator Download PDF

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Publication number
US9135829B2
US9135829B2 US12/771,703 US77170310A US9135829B2 US 9135829 B2 US9135829 B2 US 9135829B2 US 77170310 A US77170310 A US 77170310A US 9135829 B2 US9135829 B2 US 9135829B2
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aircraft
traffic
representation
flight
ownship
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US20110270472A1 (en
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Syed Tahir Shafaat
Juliana J. Goh
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Boeing Co
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Boeing Co
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Assigned to THE BOEING COMPANY reassignment THE BOEING COMPANY ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: GOH, JULIANA J., SHAFAAT, SYED TAHIR
Priority to EP20110159678 priority patent/EP2387018B1/fr
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    • G08G5/0078—
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G5/00—Traffic control systems for aircraft
    • G08G5/70—Arrangements for monitoring traffic-related situations or conditions
    • G08G5/72—Arrangements for monitoring traffic-related situations or conditions for monitoring traffic
    • G08G5/723—Arrangements for monitoring traffic-related situations or conditions for monitoring traffic from the aircraft
    • G08G5/0008—
    • G08G5/0021—
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G5/00—Traffic control systems for aircraft
    • G08G5/20—Arrangements for acquiring, generating, sharing or displaying traffic information
    • G08G5/21—Arrangements for acquiring, generating, sharing or displaying traffic information located onboard the aircraft
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G08—SIGNALLING
    • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
    • G08G5/00—Traffic control systems for aircraft
    • G08G5/20—Arrangements for acquiring, generating, sharing or displaying traffic information
    • G08G5/25—Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft

Definitions

  • a flight level indicates an altitude in hundreds of feet according to a standard pressure datum.
  • flight level (FL) 310 indicates an altitude of 31,000 feet
  • FL 280 indicates an altitude of 28,000 feet.
  • pilots will want to select a cruise altitude that will optimize the performance of the aircraft in some manner.
  • the wind direction and velocity may vary between the available flight levels along the route that the aircraft is flying. The pilot may want to take advantage of a tailwind at a particular flight level to consume less fuel, which consequently may lower operating costs and reduce environmentally harmful emissions, and/or to decrease the flight time to the destination airport.
  • a problem when flying these oceanic routes is that due to the lack of radar coverage, the position updates must be regularly sent to an air traffic control (ATC) facility that is in communication with the aircraft at any given time.
  • ATC air traffic control
  • the pilots typically do not have a big picture of the traffic that is surrounding them at any given time. Any requests for changes in flight levels must be relayed to ATC, and often through multiple personnel or facilities until an accurate depiction of the surrounding traffic is determined and a decision can be made by the controller. More often than not, the request for a flight level change is denied for traffic reasons. For this reason, pilots often stop asking, which leads to inefficiencies and delays.
  • ADS-B Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast
  • This information may include identification, position, altitude, directional data, and other flight data corresponding to the current flight conditions of the broadcasting aircraft.
  • this data is useful in assisting a pilot and ATC with valuable traffic information, the pilot must still spend time analyzing the constantly changing data in order to make a determination as to whether a flight level change would possible in light of the current traffic environment.
  • flight data is received from a traffic aircraft. Similar flight data associated with the ownship aircraft is determined, and using this flight data along with the traffic aircraft flight data, a criteria indicator is determined.
  • the criteria indicator corresponds to at least the longitudinal separation between the traffic aircraft and the ownship aircraft, as well as to the closure rate between the two aircraft, as determined from the applicable flight data.
  • multiple altitude indication lines are displayed on a display unit of the aircraft.
  • An ownship representation is displayed on an altitude indication line corresponding to the current altitude of the aircraft as determined from the applicable flight data.
  • an aircraft traffic representation is displayed on an altitude indication line corresponding to the altitude of the traffic aircraft as determined from the traffic aircraft flight data.
  • the criteria indicator is displayed so that the position of the criteria indicator, with respect to the positions of the ownship representation and the aircraft traffic representation, indicates whether an altitude change of the aircraft through an altitude corresponding to the altitude indication line of the traffic aircraft would be possible.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating various aspects of a climb and descent management system of an aircraft according to embodiments presented herein;
  • FIG. 2 is a display diagram showing an aircraft traffic vertical profile display (VPD) according to embodiments presented herein;
  • VPD aircraft traffic vertical profile display
  • FIG. 3 is a display diagram showing an alternative aircraft traffic VPD according to embodiments presented herein;
  • FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating one method for displaying aircraft traffic and climb/descent determination data, as provided in the embodiments presented herein;
  • FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an illustrative computer hardware and software architecture for a computing system capable of implementing aspects of the embodiments presented herein.
  • the following detailed description is directed to methods, systems, and computer-readable media for displaying aircraft traffic in a manner that allows a pilot to determine at a glance whether a climb or descent to a desired altitude is possible. This knowledge allows a pilot to request changes in altitude or flight levels during oceanic flights or in other non-radar coverage areas with relative confidence that the change will be authorized by ATC controllers.
  • pilots may have readily available visual access to real time in-flight traffic information at various flight levels or altitudes around the aircraft.
  • Pertinent flight information is collected from surrounding traffic aircraft and from the aircraft itself, and is analyzed to determine whether climbing or descending through adjacent and consecutive flight levels is possible based on the current traffic conditions in light of the safe minimum separation requirements and procedures mandated by applicable flight regulations.
  • the current traffic environment is displayed along with the results of the climb and descent analysis in a manner that enables the pilots to view the display and at a glance, immediately know whether it is possible to climb or descend to or through a desired flight level.
  • flight levels and “altitudes” may be used interchangeably.
  • a flight level indicates an altitude in hundreds of feet according to a standard pressure datum. It should be appreciated that the embodiments described herein are directed to flight levels since current flight operations over oceans and other non-radar coverage areas provide for flying along predefined tracks or routes at specified flight levels.
  • the disclosure and associated claims are not limited to the display of aircraft traffic according to flight levels. Rather, any altitude measurements and associated terminology are contemplated.
  • a climb and descent management system 100 may be an integrated component of a flight management system or other cockpit avionics system of an aircraft. It is in this context that the embodiments below will be described. However, according to other embodiments, the climb and descent management system 100 may be implemented in a ground-based computing system associated with ATC. In this context, the climb and descent management system provides a graphical visualization that assists controllers in visualizing aircraft positioning and separation in non-radar coverage areas.
  • the climb and descent management system 100 may include a traffic management computer 102 executing a climb/descent determination module 104 that creates an aircraft traffic VPD 105 on an aircraft display 106 .
  • the traffic management computer 102 may be any type of flight computer and may be either dedicated to the traffic management routines discussed herein, or a flight computer that is part of any other avionics or flight system on the aircraft. Aspects of the traffic management computer 102 will be described in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 5 .
  • the climb/descent determination module 104 may be implemented as software, hardware, or a combination of the two and may execute on one or more processors or computing devices within the climb and descent management system 100 . As will be described in greater detail below with respect to FIGS. 2-4 , the climb/descent determination module 104 utilizes traffic flight data 110 , ownship flight data 114 , and pilot input 116 to generate the aircraft traffic VPD 105 on the aircraft display 106 .
  • the aircraft display 106 may be located in the cockpit of the aircraft and may be a graphical display, such as a multi-function display found in a modern “glass cockpit.”
  • the aircraft display 106 may be a computer monitor, a laptop computer display, a handheld display, or other suitable display device accessible by the climb/descent determination module 104 .
  • the traffic flight data 110 may include any information corresponding to the current flight characteristics of each traffic aircraft broadcasting the information.
  • the term “traffic aircraft” refers to any aircraft other than the “ownship” or “ownship aircraft,” which refers to the aircraft receiving the information and providing climb/descent determination information on the aircraft traffic VPD 105 according to the embodiments described herein.
  • Examples of the traffic flight data 110 include, but are not limited to, aircraft type, identification, position, altitude, heading, and speed. According to one embodiment, this traffic flight data 110 is received at an ADS-B receiver 108 of the ownship aircraft and provided to the traffic management computer 102 .
  • ADS-B provides an exemplary system for providing the traffic flight data 110 from the traffic aircraft to the ownship aircraft
  • the concepts provided herein are not limited to the use of ADS-B technology. Rather, any current or future means for distributing flight data in real time between aircraft may be utilized without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
  • the traffic management computer 102 receives ownship flight data 114 from any number of sensors 112 or flight systems associated with the ownship aircraft.
  • Examples of the ownship flight data 114 include, but are not limited to, position, altitude, heading, and speed.
  • sensors 112 include, but are not limited to, global positioning system (GPS) receivers, pressure sensors, and/or any avionics components or flight computers suitable for providing the ownship flight data 114 .
  • GPS global positioning system
  • the climb/descent determination module 104 compares and otherwise utilizes the traffic flight data 110 and the ownship flight data 114 to calculate and display criteria indicators 118 on the aircraft traffic VPD 105 .
  • criteria indicators 118 may include horizontal lines or other symbols that indicate to a pilot whether or not a climb or descent to a desired flight level is possible in light of separation minimums.
  • a “separation minimum” as used throughout this disclosure is a minimum longitudinal distance between aircraft as required by regulatory agencies, airline operating procedures, or any other applicable procedures or guidelines.
  • the criteria indicators 118 include a horizontal line, the length of which is determined at least according to the closure rate and the longitudinal separation between a traffic aircraft and the ownship aircraft, in light of the altitude separation between the two aircraft, the performance (i.e. climbing) characteristics of the ownship aircraft and the desired flight level change.
  • any number and type of variables such as wind velocity and heading at applicable altitudes, may additionally be taken into account by the climb/descent determination module 104 when determining the criteria indicators 118 for displaying on the aircraft traffic VPD 105 .
  • the various aspects of the criteria indicators 118 will become clear in light of FIGS. 2 and 3 below.
  • the aircraft traffic VPD 105 includes a graphical representation of the airspace and corresponding aircraft traffic surrounding the ownship aircraft.
  • the vertical axis includes a number of altitudes, or flight levels 202 .
  • the altitudes 30,000 feet to 38,000 feet correspond to flight levels 300 to 380 .
  • a number of altitude indication lines, or flight level indication lines 206 are displayed at the corresponding flight levels 202 .
  • the colors or other characteristics of the flight level indication lines 206 may vary according to whether climb or descent through the applicable flight level indication line 206 is allowed, as will be described in further detail below.
  • the horizontal axis of the aircraft traffic VPD 105 includes a number of longitudinal separation distances 204 as calculated from the ownship aircraft by the criteria indicator 118 executing on the traffic management computer 102 .
  • an ownship indicator 208 is positioned in the center of the aircraft traffic VPD 105 at the longitudinal separation distance 204 of “0” on the horizontal axis.
  • Aircraft traffic located 23 nautical miles (NM) in front of the ownship aircraft would be displayed as an aircraft traffic indicator 210 on an appropriate flight level indication line 206 at a horizontal location to the right of the ownship indicator 208 that vertically aligns with a longitudinal separation distance 204 of 23 NM.
  • the longitudinal separation distance 204 between a traffic aircraft and the ownship aircraft may represent the length of the horizontal component of the traffic aircraft's track as it is projected onto the flight level indication line 206 in front of or behind the ownship indicator 208 .
  • the longitudinal separation distance 204 between a traffic aircraft and the ownship aircraft may represent the actual aircraft-to-aircraft separation as measured directly between the two aircraft in three-dimensional space.
  • flight level indication lines 206 may be changed during flight via pilot input 116 .
  • the pilot may utilize any input mechanism associated with the aircraft display 106 to zoom in or out, show more or fewer flight level indication lines 206 , change the scale of the longitudinal separation distances 204 , or any combination thereof.
  • the ownship indicator 208 is shown as a filled triangle in the center of the aircraft traffic VPD 105 .
  • All surrounding aircraft broadcasting applicable traffic flight data 110 via ADS-B or other technologies, are represented with aircraft traffic indicators 210 A- 210 D (collectively referred to as aircraft traffic indicators 210 ) shown as open triangles.
  • the location of each aircraft traffic indicator 210 is positioned on the corresponding flight level indication line 206 according to the longitudinal separation distance 204 in front of or behind the ownship indicator 208 .
  • each aircraft traffic indicator 210 is shown with the point of the triangle directed to the right, indicating that all aircraft traffic shown is flying a similar heading as the ownship aircraft.
  • aircraft traffic flying a substantially opposite heading could be shown with the point of the triangle of the corresponding aircraft traffic indicator 210 directed to the left. It should be appreciated that the embodiments described herein are not limited to the use of triangular indicators 208 and 210 , or the filled and open configurations of the triangular indicators 208 and 210 , respectively, as shown.
  • Two aircraft are located above the ownship aircraft.
  • One of these aircraft is represented by the aircraft traffic indicator 210 A on FL 370, positioned 10 NMs behind the ownship indicator 208 , while the other is represented by the aircraft traffic indicator 210 B on FL 350, positioned 23 NMs in front of the ownship indicator 208 .
  • Two aircraft are located below the ownship aircraft, one is represented by the aircraft traffic indicator 210 C and shown to be 25 NMs behind the ownship indicator 208 at FL 330, and the other is represented by the aircraft traffic indicator 210 D and shown approximately 17 NMs in front of the ownship indicator 208 at FL 310.
  • each displayed aircraft traffic indicator 210 includes a corresponding criteria indicator 118 .
  • the criteria indicator 118 is a horizontal line extending outward from the aircraft traffic indicator 210 in the direction of the ownship indicator 208 .
  • the criteria indicator 118 may include an endpoint and color that aids in the visualization of the precise location of the end of the criteria indicator 118 .
  • the endpoints are represented with diamond symbols.
  • the criteria indicators 118 allow a pilot to quickly view the aircraft traffic VPD 105 and determine whether a desired flight level change is possible. To do so, the pilot looks to see if a virtual vertical line drawn between the tip of the ownship indicator 208 and the flight level indication line 206 corresponding with the desired flight level intersects any criteria indicators 118 . If it does, then there are blocking aircraft that prevent the climb or descent to the desired flight level due to separation minimums. If not, then there is no aircraft traffic that would prevent the desired climb and descent, which increases the likelihood that ATC will allow the flight level change if requested.
  • the pilot of the ownship aircraft shown in FIG. 2 wants to climb to FL 370 from his or her current cruising altitude at FL 340, then a quick glance at the aircraft traffic VPD 105 would show that a line drawn upwards from the tip of the ownship indicator 208 to FL 370 would intersect the criteria indicator 118 A extending outward from the aircraft traffic indicator 210 A positioned on the flight level indication line 206 associated with FL 370. This tells the pilot that according to the closure rate between the two aircraft and the current speeds and positions of the aircraft, a climb to FL 370 would violate the minimum separation procedures. As will be described in greater detail below, the color or other characteristics of the criteria indicator 118 A and/or the flight level indication line 206 associated with FL 370 may be used to inform the pilot at a glance as to whether or not a climb to FL 370 would be possible.
  • the criteria indicators 118 may be displayed in any manner that indicates to the pilot that a climb or descent to or through the corresponding flight level indication line 206 is not possible.
  • the criteria indicators 118 may be flashing lines or may vary in thickness or color according to whether they are associated with blocking aircraft or are associated with aircraft having sufficient separation from the ownship aircraft.
  • the criteria indicators 118 may not be horizontal lines. Rather, the indicators may include flashing the corresponding aircraft traffic indicator 210 in any color or otherwise highlighting the aircraft traffic indicator 210 and/or the corresponding flight level indication line 206 without utilizing criteria indicators 118 that are separate from the aircraft traffic indicators 210 .
  • the flight level indication lines 206 are displayed in varying colors and/or thicknesses depending on whether a climb or descent through the flight level indication line 206 is possible. For example, because the flight level indication lines 206 associated with FL 350 and FL 330 contain aircraft traffic, but a climb or descent through these flight levels is possible, they may be displayed as green broken lines (colors not shown in drawings). Because the flight level indication lines 206 associated with FL 360 and FL 320 do not contain aircraft traffic and a climb or descent through these flight levels is possible, they may be displayed as blue solid lines. Finally, because FL 370 and FL 310 are not available due to the blocking aircraft traffic, they are shown as red solid lines. The aircraft traffic indicators 210 may be displayed in a color corresponding to the applicable flight level indication line 206 .
  • any amount of flight data 212 may be displayed on the aircraft traffic VPD 105 as determined and selected by pilot input 116 .
  • the pilot has chosen via an appropriate pilot interface to display the longitudinal separation and closure rates corresponding to the aircraft traffic occupying adjacent flight levels.
  • the climb/descent determination module 104 displays this flight data 212 next to the aircraft traffic indicators 210 B and 210 C.
  • the length of the criteria indicators 118 may be determined according to the traffic flight data 110 , the ownship flight data 114 , and any industry operational requirements, rules, or guidelines. For example, with respect to the aircraft traffic indicator 210 B and corresponding criteria indicator 118 B, the climb/descent determination module 104 may first determine the placement of the aircraft traffic indicator 210 B on the aircraft traffic VPD 105 with respect to the ownship indicator 208 . In determining the length of the criteria indicator 118 B, the climb/descent determination module 104 determines the closure rate and longitudinal separation between the two aircraft, shown to be a 5 knot closing speed and a separation of 23 NM.
  • the climb/descent determination module 104 may determine that at the current closure rate and separation, when the two aircraft are 10 NMs closer, the ownship aircraft would not be able to begin a standard climb to FL 350 without violating separation minimums. Accordingly, the climb/descent determination module 104 places the endpoint of the criteria indicator 118 B at a position along the flight level indication line 206 that is 10 NM from the ownship indicator 208 . It should be understood that the lengths of the criteria indicators 118 , as well as the placement of the aircraft traffic indicators 210 , are not static. Rather, as the flight environment changes, the climb/descent determination module 104 updates the aircraft traffic VPD 105 to provide the pilot with substantially real time information.
  • the precise lengths of the criteria indicators 118 may not provide substantial additional information to the pilot other than an overlapping criteria indicator 118 represents that a flight level change is not possible, while a non-overlapping criteria indicator 118 represents that a flight level change is possible with proper authorization.
  • FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment in which the criteria indicator 118 is associated with the ownship indicator 208 rather than the aircraft traffic indicators 210 .
  • a criteria indicator 118 E extends rearward from the ownship indicator 208 and a criteria indicator 118 F extends forward from the ownship indicator 208 .
  • the criteria indicator 118 E corresponds to the aircraft traffic indicators 210 A and 210 C behind the ownship indicator 208
  • the criteria indicator 118 F corresponds to the aircraft traffic indicators 210 B and 210 D in front of the ownship indicator.
  • the climb/descent determination module 104 utilizes traffic flight data 110 received from both of the aircraft associated with the aircraft traffic indicators 210 A and 210 C.
  • the climb/descent determination module 104 utilizes traffic flight data 110 received from both of the aircraft associated with the aircraft traffic indicators 210 B and 210 D.
  • the criteria indicator 118 E vertically overlaps the aircraft traffic indicator 210 A, a climb to or through FL 370 would not possible without violating separation minimums. However, because the criteria indicator 118 E does not vertically overlap the aircraft traffic indicator 210 C, it would be possible for the pilot of the ownship aircraft to descend through FL 330. Similarly, the criteria indicator 118 F informs the pilot at a glance that a descent to FL 310 is not possible, while a climb through FL 350 would be possible.
  • the configuration of the aircraft traffic VPD 105 with regards to the placement of the criteria indicators 118 is selectable according to pilot preference. Utilizing an interface associated with the aircraft display 106 , the pilot may switch between configurations as desired.
  • FIG. 4 shows a routine 400 for displaying in-flight traffic and climb/descent information on an aircraft display 106 .
  • the logical operations described herein are implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance and other requirements of the computing system. Accordingly, the logical operations described herein are referred to variously as states operations, structural devices, acts, or modules. These operations, structural devices, acts, and modules may be implemented in software, in firmware, in special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof. It should also be appreciated that more or fewer operations may be performed than shown in the figures and described herein. These operations may also be performed in a different order than those described herein.
  • the routine 400 begins at operation 402 , where the climb/descent determination module 104 receives traffic flight data 110 from one or more traffic aircraft in the vicinity of the ownship aircraft. As described above, the traffic flight data 110 may be received at an ADS-B receiver 108 .
  • the ownship flight data 114 is determined from one or more sensors 112 , flight computers, or other avionics components. The traffic flight data 110 and the ownship flight data 114 is used by the climb/descent determination module 104 at operation 406 to determine the characteristics of the criteria indicators 118 , such as the line direction, length, color, line type and weight, and any other applicable characteristics.
  • the routine 400 continues to operation 408 , where the climb/descent determination module 104 creates and displays the aircraft traffic VPD 105 .
  • This operation includes displaying the flight level indication lines 206 , the ownship indicator 208 , the applicable aircraft traffic indicators 210 , and the corresponding criteria indicators 118 .
  • the routine 400 continues from operation 408 to operation 410 , where a determination is made for a desired flight level change as to whether the criteria indicators 118 vertically overlap the ownship indicator 208 or an aircraft traffic indicator 210 , depending on the configuration of the aircraft traffic VPD 105 as described above with respect to the two embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 .
  • routine 400 proceeds to operation 412 , where it is determined that the desired flight level change is not possible and the routine 400 ends.
  • the climb/descent determination module 104 determines at operation 410 that the criteria indicator 118 does not overlap the ownship indicator 208 or an aircraft traffic indicator 210 , then the routine 400 proceeds to operation 414 , where it is determined that the desired flight level change is possible and the routine 400 ends. If the aircraft traffic VPD 105 shows that the desired flight level change is possible, the pilot knows that requesting the change with ATC is likely to lead to the desired authorization.
  • FIG. 5 shows an illustrative computer architecture for a traffic management computer 102 capable of executing the software components described herein for displaying aircraft traffic and climb/descent information in the manner presented above.
  • the computer architecture shown in FIG. 5 illustrates a conventional general-purpose computer system that may be utilized to execute aspects of the software components presented herein, such as a flight management computer found in a typical commercial aircraft.
  • the computer architecture shown in FIG. 5 includes a central processing unit 502 (CPU), a system memory 508 , including a random access memory 514 (RAM) and a read-only memory 516 (ROM), and a system bus 504 that couples the memory to the CPU 502 .
  • the traffic management computer 102 also includes a mass storage device 510 for storing an operating or control system 518 , specific application modules, and other program modules, which are described in greater detail herein.
  • the mass storage device 510 is connected to the CPU 502 through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to the bus 504 .
  • the mass storage device 510 and its associated computer-readable media provide non-volatile storage for the traffic management computer 102 .
  • computer-readable media can be any available computer storage media that can be accessed by the traffic management computer 102 .
  • computer-readable media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.
  • computer-readable media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD), HD-DVD, BLU-RAY, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the traffic management computer 102 .
  • the traffic management computer 102 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to other aircraft systems and remote computers through a network such as the network 520 .
  • the traffic management computer 102 may connect to the network 520 through a network interface unit 506 connected to the bus 504 . It should be appreciated that the network interface unit 506 may also be utilized to connect to other types of networks and remote computer systems.
  • the traffic management computer 102 may also include an input/output controller 512 for receiving and processing input from a number of other devices, including a keyboard, mouse, electronic stylus, or touchscreen, such as may be present on a connected terminal device in the aircraft. Similarly, an input/output controller 512 may provide output to an aircraft display 106 , a printer, or other type of output device.
  • a number of program modules and data files may be stored in the mass storage device 510 and RAM 514 of the traffic management computer 102 .
  • the mass storage device 510 and RAM 514 may also store one or more program modules.
  • the mass storage device 510 and the RAM 514 may store the climb/descent determination module 104 , which was described in detail above in regard to FIG. 1 .
  • the mass storage device 510 and the RAM 514 may also store other types of program modules or data.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Traffic Control Systems (AREA)
  • Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
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